Let's get D-Y district its own taxing authority

Wednesday

May 1, 2019 at 3:01 AM

A a former Yarmouth resident, I offer a solution to the Yarmouth-Dennis controversy regarding school funding, which unfortunately has a history as old as the district.

It is well beyond time to take all D-Y school funding away from the individual towns and establish a D-Y School District taxing authority with the power to raise taxes via property assessments to fund the school budget. The D-Y School District would set its own tax rate based on the assessed value of property. The district would accept the assessed values set by the towns so that it would not need its own assessors.

I envision this established similar to the fire districts in Barnstable. It would not matter on which side of the town line residents lived. Every property owner would pay equally. The school district would have to hold its own “town meeting vote” or hold a referendum vote to approve capital expenditures such as building new schools or building additions to schools.

This proposal would require the state to pass legislation to authorize this, and other communities in the state with multitown school districts could also take advantage of this proposal if they desired.

Fred Pegnato

Bourne

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